Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-01-21

: SWOut0 SAtsf6&UoelA$ Il Stll ~ pElgtlO man,
your Honorperhaps q man above
the common run~-if my parents had
not committed the crime OF aband on
ing me. 5#z 81 ..,.s i. II
THAT crime was committed against
me. / was the victim-they were the
criminals. ] was helpless they were
pitiless. They ought to have loved me
they flung me from them. %~s
II owed them my life-but is life q
gift? Mine, at all events, was simply q
curse. After their shameful abandon
ment ofme, owed them nothing but
revenge. They perpetrated against me
the most inhuman, the most mon
stro,1s act which 1t is possible to COM
init against 81 human being.
"Ihe man who is cursed at strikes
back; the man who is robbed seeks to
wrest back from the robber by force,
that which belongs to him. The man
who is duped, Knocked, nrartyrized,
kills; the man who has his face slapped
in public, kills; the man who is dis
honored, kills. I have been worse
robbed, worse duped, worse martyr
lied, worse insulted, and dishonored
morally than any one of those whose
anger you might condone.
II have avenged myself; have kill
ed That was my legitimate right! I
took their happy eaway, in exchange
for that hideous lie which they impos-
ed upon me.
"You may talk OF parricidey Were
they ever to be considered my parents
these people by whom was ragard-
ed merely as an abominable burden,
a terror, q load OF infamy-these PEG.
pie for whom my birth was q calam-
ity, and my life a perpetual menace of
shame? They sought only their own
egot1stical will, they had child they
did not want. They suppressed that
child. And my turn came at last to
suppress them likewise.
and, nevertheless, it is only alittle
while ago, that was ready to- leave
them.
"About two years ago, as I have al
ready told you, the man who was my
father entered my shop for the first
time. | had no suspicion then. He
oraere:i two articles offurniture made.
lie had previously-as l afterward
learned-:nade inquiries about me OF
the parish priest, under promise of
secrecy, as you may we'll imagine.
Ale came back often; gave me plenty
OF work to do, land paid me we'll. Some
times he would even ,onverse with me
about this topic or thai topic-differ-
ent things. | felt all afectionate re-
gard for him.
About the commencement o. the
year he brought to my place, for the
first time, his wife-nny mother. When
she came in she trembied so much that
I at first supposed her to be afflicted
with some nervous disease. Then she
asked for g. chair and a. glass OF water.
She said nothing; she stared at my
furniture Ike q crazy woman; and when
he asked her anything she could only
answer, YES, No. at random.
BY the time she lett I had begun to
think that her mind was slightly af~
fected.
"She came again the. following
month. That time she was calm
and self-possessed. They gave me
quite g. large order, and chatted
with me for quite a considerable time.
saw her three times more after that
without suspecting anything; but, 10
and behold, one day she began to
question me about my life, about my
childhood. about my parents.
" Madam said my parents were
me-
"When + said that she pressed her
hand over her heart and ieIl senseless
to the floor. thought to, myself at
once, THAT is my mother!' But |
knew better than to betray myself. I
waited to see her come again.
A'iou may be sure I made inquiries.
/ learned they had only been married
the July before, my mother had then
been widow three years. There
were whispered rumors that they had
loved during the lifetime OF the has
band; but there WIS no proof. I,
WAS the proof--the proof they had be-
gan by hiding, and had afterwards
hoped to destroy.
Il waited. She came again one
evening, accompanied, as usual, by
my father. That day she seemed to-
be very much affected. I do not know
why. Then, just as she was going
away, she turned and said to me:
II wish you we'll, because you APP
pear to be good young man and an
Industrious one. You will be thinking
about getting married one OF these
days; want to hel p you to choose
yourself q wife that you know will
suit you- I myself was once married
against my will, and know how much
G, ffcr to
cause Now | am free, without chill
dren and rich---mistress OF my own
fortune. Here is your dowry'
<1She handed me q big sealed envei-
ope. / looked at her very hard.
said to her:
You are my mother
''She shrank back q little and hid
kher face with her bands, so as not to
see me. He-the man-my father
caught her IN his arms and shouted
to me:
Why, you must be crazy!
II answered: Not bit. know you
two are my parents. You cannot
TOOL me that way. Confess the truth
and keep your secret; will have no
i'll will against you; l will remain just
what am a cabinetmaker.'
"He moved back toward the door,
supporting his wife in his arms she
was sobbing. Irnshed to the door,
locked it, put the key in my pocket,
and said again:
Look at her, and dare to deny
again that she is my mother
"Then he lost his temper, turned
white--terrified ut the idea that the
scandal which had been so long hush
ed up might burst out all of % sudden
that their position, theic homer
/ would all be lost at once; he suffered
out:
"'You are q villain trying to black
mail us. This is what comes of trying
to do good to the neonle-trNi1lg to